This vegan moussaka is deliciously layered with roasted eggplant, homemade vegan mince and a creamy vegan bechamel sauce. Ultimate comfort food.
Vegan moussaka is like a lower carb version of a vegan shepherd’s pie!
Instead of mashed potatoes on the top you have bechamel sauce.
It’s also a little like lasagna in that you have layers. It starts off with a layer of roasted eggplant and then you have a layer of homemade vegan mince, then more eggplant, and it’s topped off with a thick layer of bechamel sauce.
It then bakes to perfection in the oven and you have some serious comfort food on your hands.
It’s seriously satisfying and high in protein too!
It does take a while to make, I have to tell you. It’s probably not going to go onto the regular weekly dinner rotation, but for a special occasion it’s the best.
Moussaka
There are quite a few moving parts to this recipe, which means lots of photo collages! But bear with me.
Here’s just a quick look at the components of your moussaka. You have roasted eggplant (actually two trays like this, we only photographed one of them), homemade veggie mince and bechamel sauce.
This gets layered in a rectangular dish and baked to perfection.
How to make Vegan Moussaka
Start off by putting on some tofu to press. It’s ideal if you use a tofu press, but if you don’t have one you can place the block of tofu on a plate with another plate on top of it and then place something heavy on top of that, like a heavy pot or stack of books.
While the tofu is pressing, slice your eggplant into round slices about 1/4 inch thick, brush with olive oil and sprinkle on a bit of salt and pepper.
Place into the oven and bake at 350°F for 25 minutes, turning them over around the halfway mark.
Then get on with making the vegan mince that is based on our recipe for vegan bolognese.
Add walnuts to the food processor and process into crumbles and add to a mixing bowl. Then add sliced mushrooms to the food processor and process until finely chopped and add in with the walnuts in the mixing bowl.
When the tofu is pressed, mash it with a fork and add to the mixing bowl. Then add in some lentils and toss everything together.
Add some olive oil, onion, finely chopped celery and red pepper to a pot and sauté until softened. Add in some crushed garlic, paprika, cumin, oregano, rosemary and cinnamon. Yes, that’s not a typo, we used a little cinnamon! It’s a typical flavor add for moussaka, and in small quantity tastes great here!
Then add your walnut, mushroom, tofu and lentil mix and toss together with the vegetables and spices.
Add in some tomato paste, marinara sauce and soy sauce and fry for about 8 minutes until you have cooked off any excess liquid and have a delicious soft mince texture.
Add in some coconut sugar, black pepper and sea salt to taste.
The Vegan Bechamel Sauce
When your eggplant is deliciously baked and your veggie mince is ready to go, now you have to make your vegan white sauce – bechamel.
You need to focus all your attention on this while you’re making it, but once you get the hang of it, it’s really easy.
Add some olive oil to a pot and heat it. Then add in some flour and fry it in the oil for a minute, then add in soy milk and stir like mad (have a whisk handy as well so you can alternate between stirring and whisking) until well combined.
Heat it, stirring all the while until it reaches a rolling boil and then let it boil while you continue stirring until it thickens. You ideally want it very thick for this since you need it to be a fairly firm topping for your moussaka, not a super runny sauce. When it’s nicely thickened, then add black pepper and salt to taste.
Layering the Vegan Moussaka
Start off with a layer of roasted eggplant. Then add in all your veggie mince. Then top that with the rest of the eggplant, and top it all off with all the white sauce.
Smooth down and then place into the oven to bake for 40 minutes at 350°F, switching to grill for the last 5 minutes so that it can brown a little more on top.
Let it cool for a bit before serving.
Pro tips for Vegan Moussaka
Your vegan mince needs to be thick. So cook off any excess liquid so that it’s a nice thick mince.
Your bechamel sauce also needs to be thick. This can take a while, especially since it’s a lot of sauce.
If you’re having trouble with your bechamel sauce thickening and it’s taking just too long and not seeming to thicken, then you can add a little more flour. Mix a tablespoon of flour with some water into a paste and then whisk it into the white sauce.
So I hope you will love this vegan moussaka! It takes a while but oh it’s worth it! It is:
- Deliciously layered
- Packed with baked eggplant
- Made with the most delicious homemade vegan mince
- Topped with bechamel sauce
- Filling and extremely satisfing
- Gorgeous looking!
Leftovers keep very well in the fridge for around 4-5 days and can be reheated at your leisure. And yes it’s freezer friendly too!
More delicious vegan dinners!
- Vegan Shepherd’s Pie
- The Best Vegan Lasagna
- The Easiest Vegan Lasagna
- Vegan Sloppy Joes
- Baked Vegan Mac and Cheese
- Vegan Pasta Bake
So let us know what you think of this vegan moussaka in the comments and please rate the recipe too, thank you!
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Vegan Moussaka
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 85 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 55 minutes
- Yield: 8
Description
This vegan moussaka is deliciously layered with baked eggplant, homemade vegan mince and a creamy vegan bechamel sauce. Ultimate comfort food.
Ingredients
For the Eggplant:
- 2 Large Eggplants (~10.5oz/300g each, Sliced)
- Olive Oil (For Brushing)
- Sprinkle Salt and Pepper
For the Vegan Mince:
- 1 8oz (~220g) Block Extra Firm Tofu (Pressed)
- 1 cup (100g) Walnuts (Finely Chopped)
- 1 Pack (8oz/226g) Button Mushrooms (Finely Chopped)*
- 1 15oz (425g) Can Brown Lentils (Drained)*
- 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 Onion (Finely Chopped)
- 2 Medium Stalks Celery (Finely Chopped)
- 1 Medium to Large Red Bell Pepper (Finely Chopped)
- 1 Tbsp Crushed Garlic
- 1 tsp Paprika
- 1 tsp Cumin
- 1 tsp Dried Oregano
- 1 tsp Dried Rosemary
- 1/8 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 1/2 cup (130g) Tomato Paste
- 1 cup (240ml) Marinara Sauce*
- 1 Tbsp Dark Soy Sauce
- 1 Tbsp Coconut Sugar
- 1/4 tsp Ground Black Pepper
- Salt (To Taste)
For the Bechamel Sauce:
- 3/4 cup (180ml) Olive Oil
- 3/4 cup (94g) All Purpose Flour
- 8 cups (1930ml) Soy Milk
- Black Pepper (To Taste)
- Sea Salt (To Taste)
For Decoration (Optional):
- Dried Oregano
- Paprika
- Ground Black Pepper
- Sprigs of Fresh Rosemary
Instructions
- Start off by putting your tofu on to press. If you have a tofu press, this is perfect to use, but if not, you can place the block of tofu on a plate, with another plate on top of it and then place something heavy on top of that, like a heavy pot or a heavy stack of books.
- While the tofu is pressing, preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C) and slice your eggplant into round slices about 1/4 inch thick, brush with olive oil and sprinkle on a bit of salt and pepper and place onto parchment lined trays (we used two half sheet trays).
- Place the eggplant into the oven and bake for 25 minutes, turning them over around the halfway mark.
- Prepare your vegan mince. Add walnuts to the food processor and process into crumbles and add to a mixing bowl. Then add sliced mushrooms to the food processor and process until finely chopped and add in with the walnuts in the mixing bowl.
- When the tofu is pressed, mash it with a fork and add to the mixing bowl. Then add in the lentils and toss everything together.
- Add the olive oil, chopped onion, celery and red pepper to a pot and sauté until softened. Add in some crushed garlic, paprika, cumin, oregano, rosemary and cinnamon.
- Then add your walnut, mushroom, tofu and lentil mix and toss together with the vegetables and spices.
- Add in some tomato paste, marinara sauce and soy sauce and fry for about 8 minutes until you have cooked off any excess liquid and have a delicious soft mince texture.
- Add in some coconut sugar, black pepper and sea salt to taste.
- Prepare your bechamel sauce. Add the olive oil to a pot and heat it. Then add in the flour and fry it in the oil for a minute, then add in all the soy milk at once and stir vigorously until well combined. Alternate between a wooden spoon and a whisk while heating it to remove any lumps. It can tend to stick to the bottom of the pot so make sure you are scraping the bottom of the pot constantly and then whisking it in. Keep stirring and whisking until it reaches a rolling boil and then let it boil while you continue to stir until it thickens. When it’s nicely thickened, add black pepper and salt to taste.
- Assemble your moussaka. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Place half of the eggplant along the bottom of a 9×13 oven-safe dish. Then add in all the vegan mince into a thick layer. Then top the vegan mince with the remaining sliced eggplant. Add all of the bechamel sauce and smooth down with the back of a spoon.
- Place into the oven to bake for 40 minutes switching to grill for the last 5 minutes so that it can brown on top.
- Let it cool for 10 minutes on the countertop before serving. Decorate with sprinkles of dried oregano, paprika, ground black pepper and sprigs of fresh rosemary.
Notes
*You can use any marinara sauce that you like the taste of.
- Category: Entree, Savory
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: Vegan, Greek
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Serve (of 8)
- Calories: 581
- Sugar: 10.7g
- Sodium: 676mg
- Fat: 39.2g
- Saturated Fat: 5.6g
- Carbohydrates: 41.3g
- Fiber: 7.8g
- Protein: 20.1g
Keywords: vegan moussaka
This is SO TASTY!!!
I just finished making it for the first time, it’s got to be my new favourite comfort meal :’)
I followed the recipe almost exactly, just adding about 1/4 cup nutritional yeast to the bechamel sauce 😋
And both the mince and sauce taste AMAZING on their own, I will be coming back to this recipe for lasagnas, pasta Bolognese and for a super creamy mac and cheese!
Thank you!!
★★★★★
Awesome! Thanks so much for the great review Lily!
Question… I want to make this but could veggie broth be substituted for some of the oil? Please advise, I have company coming this weekend and I’d love to serve this. THANK YOU!
Hi Lynn, yes sure you can experiment with using veg stock for some or even all of the oil. But I would recommend to experiment with it so that you’re not trying it out for the first time when you have guests coming. 🙂
Love moussaka- what can I sub for tofu?
Hmmm, you could try using extra mushrooms? I’m not sure though as I haven’t tried a version without tofu.
I too felt like it was too much sauce, I made half what was instructed and didn’t even finish that. I will make lasagna with the rest. But great sauce. It will be my go to.
Oh, I also added a layer of thinly sliced potatoes, as this is how my aunt did it and I love carbs!
Oh awesome! Sounds like a good addition!
Help!
I want to make this dish but am having trouble with the soy ingredients. I’m allergic to soy, what can I use instead of tofu?
Hi Hannah, if there is a veggie mince that you use you could use it instead of the homemade mince. I’m not sure of a substitute for our homemade version.
have you ever tried usung bulgur? I love that stuff.
I haven’t tried it so I’m not sure how well it would work.
What about substituting cracked wheat for the tofu?
Hi Alison, made this last night and it was outstanding. Very surprised at how good the “mince” was. So delicious – could not stop picking out the dish after dinner. Next time though I will probably cook up more eggplant and make thicker layers of that. An absolute keeper and wonderful comfort food.
★★★★★
Awesome Christine! So glad you loved it. Thanks for the wonderful review. 🙂
I realize I never followed up on my making it comments. This was absolutely delicious! I made It for my bible study with the changes above and it was a huge hit. I froze the leftovers and got to enjoy it again. The meat substitute was awesome and I will probably change to this in other recipes like my Shepherd’s Pie. This will definitely be a repeat recipe for me. Thanks!
★★★★★
So happy to hear that Gail! Thanks so much!
Thank you so much! I made this yesterday and was very happy with it. I had roasted eggplant in the freezer from the garden last summer so that was a step I didn’t need to follow. I didn’t realize I was out of lentils so I used quinoa in its place. I had 14oz of tofu and used it all. Also modified the bechamel because I needed it to be gluten free. I used oat milk with a corn starch slurry along with the olive oil and added a touch of nutmeg, and only made 4 cups. I think any more would have been too much for my tastes. I imagine the “meat” portion would work well in stuffed peppers and cabbage rolls. The texture of the meat really surprised me – I’m guessing it was the walnuts. I will definitely make this again. Thanks!
★★★★★
So happy you enjoyed it! Thanks so much for sharing!
This is the most amazing, delicious moussaka I’ve ever had! Prep time was about an hour (also, I had to make a marinara sauce) but worth every minute. Even the kids came back for seconds. This is now my go-to for special occasions. Thanks so much!!!
★★★★★
Yay! Thank you so much Ali! 🙂
Bechamel is quicker and easier if you add gradually 😁. An extra flavor that we to add our Bechamel sauce is to bring g the milk to a boil with an onion, nutmeg and a bay leaf and let it sit for 30 mins, then strain and use, I use almond milk. This is how I was raised making it in England. Making this recipe today, seems like most authentic Vegan Moussaka I could find! Can’t wait.
Awesome! Hope you enjoy it! 🙂
Amazing recipe. Only made half the bechamel sauce and it was definitely enough (didn’t have enough soymilk on hand). It thickened up very quickly after the boil started. Thanks for this one! It was a hit.
So glad to hear that Jordan! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
The flavors of this dish are so very complex. There is quite a bit going on. I was stunned. I made a vegan mashed potato for the top vice the sauce. I can’t say enough about this one. It is a marker for just how well vegan meals can be constructed.
Kudos to you for creating this. Absolutely phenomenal.
★★★★★
Thank you so much! So glad you loved the flavors! 🙂
Did you actually mean to write 8 CUPS of soy milk, as in 2 quarts? Or did you mean 8 oz, as in one cup?
Hi Eileen, I meant 8 cups. It has the amount in mls written next to it, it’s most definitely 8 cups.
I’ve been stirring the bechamel for 2 hours and it’s still not thick. Beware people who don’t have this much time. There must be a better way.
★★
It definitely should not take that long. I would troubleshoot that by adding more flour (mix it into a paste with cold water first and then whisk it in).
It took me a lot of time to make it but it was worth it 🙂
★★★★★
So happy to hear it was worth it! I agree, it’s definitely time consuming but worth it in the end. Thanks for the awesome rating! 🙂
Glad to see a Greek recipe on a vegan page! And I really like the ingredients used!
Will definitely give this a try, but will also add zucchini and maybe potatoes 🙂
★★★★★
Thank you! Hope you’ll enjoy the recipe. Thanks for the great review. 🙂
What size baking dish do you make this in?
A 9×13 baking dish.
Made this for dinner on Saturday. First time using tofu! My son gave me a tip for pressing it – to put layers of kitchen paper underneath it to absorb the water and stop the bottom staying soggy!
It was time-consuming but well worth the effort as it was delicious. I only used half the quantity of milk in the bechamel sauce and this gave me a really thick layer.
I wondered if there is a substitute for the walnuts which would give the same texture? I used them this time but could not do so if my daughter was visiting as she has an allergy to them.
Would almonds work do you think? I also wondered about adding a little nutmeg to the sauce?
★★★★★
Hi Anne Marie! So glad you enjoyed it! I think almonds would definitely be worth a try, maybe even pecans would work, but I think almonds is a good idea as it’s also fairly neutral tasting but will provide texture. Let us know how it goes if you try it! And definitely spice it to your tastes, I think a little nutmeg could taste great here. Thanks for sharing and the awesome review. 🙂
I used sunflower seeds, am taking it to a party tomorrow… Fingers crossed everyone likes it.
This may be really specific but how thin did slice the eggplants?
Hi Vanessa, not too specific at all, I’ll update the recipe as well, they were sliced around 1/4 inch thick. 🙂
This looks so appealing and appetising! Am dying to try it!
★★★★★
It is sooo good! Hope you try it soon! 🙂